Cape Town — A 42-year-old man who was already in prison, was sentenced to life imprisonment after he was convicted of raping a fellow inmate, the Bloemfontein High Court said.
The inmate in question – Jeffrey Bona – is being held at the Manguang Correctional Facility and was convicted of raping a fellow inmate. According to the Natioanl Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the rape incidents took place during 2021, IOL reported.
“The accused and the victim were serving their sentences at the facility when the accused began raping the victim on more than one occasion. The victim reported the matter to the authorities and the accused was charged with rape,” Senokoatsane said.
During the aggravation of the sentencing, the prosecution said the court should not deviate from the apt sentence of life imprisonment, with the prosecutor submitting that Bona showed no remorse and was already incarcerated when he raped his victim. The court sentenced Bona to life imprisonment for rape.
According to SundayWorld, Bona’s conviction and sentence confirmed their commitment to fight crime, the NPA said.
““The National Prosecuting Authority continues the fight against any form of crime. Whether committed by the public or persons already in prison. We will continue to prosecute without fear, favour, or prejudice,” Senokoatsane added.
Reports show that, in South Africa, consensual sex between inmates is prohibited by the law. As such, inmates are therefore reluctant to report on such activities.
Compounding this problem is the tendency of correctional authorities to neglect to report on these sexual violations. In addition, various relationships may develop between men during their period of incarceration. These result in consensual sex.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
